In automotive applications, the air cleaning system includes at least three subassemblies: a dirty air duct assembly, an air filter assembly, and a clean air duct assembly. The three subassemblies can be constructed from a variety of materials, such plastic, rubber, and fabric materials.
When the subassemblies are connected to each other, connections are made between similar or dissimilar materials. For example, a flexible rubber hose can be clamped onto a connector of a hard plastic air filter housing. A hard rubber duct can be snap-fitted onto a hard plastic air filter housing. These types of connections are generally secure and durable. However, it is more difficult to connect flexible hoses to each other. For example, a flexible rubber hose and a fabric hose, which are to be connected, do not have sufficient structural rigidity to allow the use of a clamp.
A traditional solution to the problem of connecting two flexible hoses is the use of a hard hose connector and two clamps that clamp the hoses to the hose connector. This solution provides a high level of structural durability, but is relatively expensive because it requires the use of at least three parts. Another solution is to use adhesive or staples. Although this method is less expensive, it also has poor structural durability, resulting in a short service life, especially when engine vibrations create large oscillatory movements of the hoses.